Adam Christing, US-based humourist, keynote speaker, and author of The Laughter Factor on why laughter can be the best policy on why laughter could be HR’s most underrated mental health tool.
Comedian Steve Allen once quipped, “I used to make mental bets. That’s how I lost my mind.”
Clever line. And it’s based in truth. The modern workplace can make even the most resilient person feel wobbly. Deadlines multiply, inboxes groan, and then you discover someone’s taken the last Cadbury bar.
So, on World Mental Health Day, HR leaders are asking: how do we support our people when the pressure never seems to let up?
The answer isn’t found in another mindfulness app or the 117th book about Stoicism. It’s something more fun, far simpler – and way more human.
Laughter.
Humour isn’t just a “bonus” feature of a positive culture. It’s a resilience tool, a stress reliever, and a powerful connector when times are tough. When people can laugh, they can breathe and think. The old saying is true: “Funny is money.” And sometimes, it’s also sanity.
Why shared struggles make the best stories
Think about your favourite team memories. They rarely involve everything going smoothly. They’re about something going spectacularly wrong. The computer that died five minutes before a pitch. Your “casual Friday” outfit that turned out to be too formal. The company retreat that ended in a round of food poisoning… and stronger friendships.
Those moments feel dreadful at the time, but they become the glue that holds people together. Shared laughter reframes the story, turning frustration into perspective and chaos into connection.
Authenticity
One company I know hosts an “Oops Hour” every Friday afternoon. Staff email their funniest (appropriate) workplace mishaps. Someone might confess to hitting “reply all” on a surprise birthday thread. Another might admit to locking themselves out of the building…twice. The result isn’t embarrassment. It’s a relief.
One HR director told me, “Our error rate dropped once we stopped hiding errors!”
That’s the magic of humour. It turns vulnerability into unity and mistakes into great material for the next Holiday party.
Laughter as a resilience tool
When stress builds, people shrink. They get defensive, cautious, and tired. Creativity vanishes. Energy drains. But humour interrupts that downward spiral. “She who laughs…lasts.”
A good laugh releases endorphins, lowers cortisol, and resets the nervous system. It reminds people that even when things go wrong, they’re not doomed.
I’ve seen it happen before high-stakes gatherings. The tension is thick, then a leader says something self-aware like, “Last meeting I rambled on. Let’s thank the IT team for not unplugging me.” The room laughs at a leader’s self-effacing humour. Everyone relaxes.
As I mentioned recently on Harvard Business Review’s IdeaCast, leaders should aim to raise their “LPMs”—Laughs Per Meeting. It’s not about telling jokes; it’s about breaking the ice and creating ease. When laughter rises, stress falls.
Humour reminds us that “hum” is at the root of both human and humour. Without it, work becomes mechanical, predictable, and about as joyful as a quarterly budget review.
The science of shared laughter
Mother Teresa, who wasn’t known for stand-up, once said, “A smile is the shortest distance between two people.” Science agrees.
When people laugh together, their heart rates synchronise, their breathing aligns, and their brains light up in similar patterns. Laughter doesn’t just lift mood – it literally connects us.
Teams that laugh together collaborate more easily, recover faster from setbacks, and share feedback more openly. They feel safe.
Studies show that humour is a shortcut to trust. Positive fun is like soil where psychological safety and creativity grows.
Turning problems into punchlines
George Burns, the legendary vaudeville comedian, lived to be 99. When asked his secret to longevity, he said, “I can’t die…I’m booked!” Healthy workplaces promote longevity and handle setbacks like comedians handle bad gigs—they mine them for material.
Humor doesn’t erase difficulty. It transforms it. It allows us to look at challenges with a mix of honesty and levity. When leaders model that, fear gives way to curiosity. Instead of “Who’s at fault?” people ask, “What can we laugh at – and how can we learn from this?”
In my book The Laughter Factor, I describe five simple ways—what I call “Laugh Languages” – for bringing humour into work life:
Surprise! Use the unexpected to shift the mood. One manager began a meeting with, “Let’s start with a moment of silence for everyone’s unread emails.”
Poke. Make light of yourself and beat the rush. “I was thinking about how dimwitted my boss was at my last job. Sadly, I was self-employed.”
In-Jokes. Every workplace has funny folklore—the broken coffee machine, the mysterious lunch thief, the colleague who famously emails, “Just a few quick questions” right before the workday ends.
Wordplay. Clever phrases or puns can remind people that work can be serious without feeling solemn. Even the occasional groan-worthy dad joke has its place. “I gave all my dead batteries away today…
Free of charge!”
Amplify. Use exaggeration to restore perspective. “We missed the deadline by only two days, which makes us early by government standards.” (If you are in government…find a different “safe target”.)
Each tactic is enhanced via authenticity. When people can laugh, they stop pretending to be perfect. That’s when genuine engagement begins.
Create “SAD” Moments (Surprise and Delight)
HR professionals can reclaim the word “SAD” by turning it into Surprise And Delight.
Send a “Half Birthday” card 6 months before an associate’s birthday. Add a playful note to a recognition email. Host a game of “Bingo biscuits” during a stressful week. “Planned spontaneity” can revitalize your people.
One HR team created the “Golden Gaffe” award for the funniest mistake made in good faith. The prize? A plastic crown and bragging rights for the month. This kind of clean comedy builds camaraderie. People start admitting small problems before they become big ones.
Remember, your people don’t expect you to be a professional comedian. They just want to feel appreciated. A touch of humour can turn a tough week into a shared memory instead of a shared complaint. Humour and kindness can travel together. When employees feel seen, valued, and occasionally amused, well-being rises and turnover drops.
What this means for HR leaders
HR has to balance two goals: protecting people’s mental health while maintaining performance. Fortunately, those goals go hand in hand.
Leaders who use humor appropriately send three powerful signals:
- You belong here.
- It’s safe to be imperfect.
- We can laugh our way through difficult days.
Feel-good fun builds trust faster than any policy. It creates a culture where people can breathe, contribute, and grow.
You can’t mandate joy, but you can model it. That’s the job of every HR leader – to set a tone of humanity. Laughing with people shows empathy. Laughing near them shows solidarity. And laughing when the printer jams for the fourth time in a row shows maturity.
The Bottom Line
Laughter isn’t a distraction from serious work. It’s the thing that makes serious work possible. It helps us recover, reconnect, and rediscover perspective.
Humour reminds us that behind every performance review is a person, and behind every stressful week is a story that might just be funny later.
So, this World Mental Health Day, don’t just focus on reducing stress. Focus on building strength. Start an “Oops Hour.” Create a “SAD” moment. Raise your team’s LPMs (Laughs Per Meeting).
When you help people laugh, you help them heal. And when that happens, work becomes not only more productive, but wonderfully, unmistakably human. And that can improve mental health every day.
